The present invention relates to support brackets for electrical boxes of the type mounted on or between vertical wall studs utilized in building construction. More particularly, the invention relates to metallic support brackets for multiple outlet metallic electrical boxes of the type mounted on or between metallic channel-type vertical wall-framing studs.
In the construction of a substantial majority of modern day multiple dwelling apartment buildings and condominiums, office buildings, and other commercial buildings having a multiplicity of internal space-dividing walls, pre-formed and pre-cut metallic base channels (affixed to floor structures) and metallic wall studs are utilized to provide strong support for wallboard or "Sheetrock" plasterboard and to speed up internal wall construction. Commonly, wall and door placement is laid out on a building floor and metal base channels are rapidly affixed by nails, screws, rivets or the like to the flooring (wood, concrete, etc.). For the most part, metal base channel pieces are provided in standard 21/2 inch widths with a channel depth of 11/4 inch. The metal channel-type studs (usually of common pre-cut length) are appropriately placed (in vertical orientation) at base channel ends to form doorjambs and at 16 inch or 24 inch standard intervals (center-to-center) to act as the studs to which wallboard is affixed on one or both sides of the studs.
With wall construction of the foregoing type the placement of electrical boxes for multiple electric wall outlets is usually accomplished by mounting such boxes (at an appropriate height) on the channel-type studs. In most situations the box is mounted at a box-center height of 12 inches or 16 inches above the floor surface by drilling pilot holes in the stud (matching screw hole spacing on the side wall of the electrical box) and affixing the box to the stud via self tapping screws driven into place by a screw gun. Alternatively, a metal offset bracket of appropriate length is placed in horizontal orientation between adjacent studs (at a desired height) and affixed thereto by self tapping screws. The principal span of such brackets between studs is set back so that standard electrical boxes of either 11/2 inch depth or 21/8 inch depth (when mounted) are appropriately aligned with the plane formed by the faces of adjacent studs. After affixing an offset bracket to the studs, one or more electrical boxes are mounted to such bracket by applying self tapping screws through holes in the back wall of the box and into pilot holes drilled through the bracket.
Both the system of mounting electrical boxes directly to metal studs and the system of mounting electrical boxes to horizontally disposed brackets extending between studs have deficiencies which frequently result in misalignment of electrical boxes and their face plates mounted to such boxes on the room side of plasterboard affixed to the wall studs. Thus, it often occurs that the metallic wall studs are not placed in true vertical orientation. Also, exact horizontal placement of electrical box mounting brackets is difficult without the use of a carpenter's level. Further, the drilling of a number of mounting holes in the metallic studs for each electrical box and for each mounting bracket is time consuming and the proper height spacing and inter-stud placement of such boxes along wall areas requires tedious measurements.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical box support bracket which is easy to install at any point between metallic wall studs and results in properly aligned orientation of the supported electrical box and its face plate, when installed.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an electrical box support bracket which is mountable in the metallic base channel associated with metallic channel-type studs, between such studs, with the result that true vertical alignment of its associated electrical box is easily attained.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide an electrical box support bracket to which an electrical box may be easily pre-affixed at a choice of standard heights with the bracket and attached electrical box thereafter installed in a metallic base channel for true vertical alignment of the box between adjacent metallic channel-type wall studs.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following summary and detailed descriptions of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures.